Midnight Tears
by Kei Lawliet
Summary: Everybody needs to cry every once in a while. KuroFai fluff. Pre-Tokyo Arc.


So... decided I haven't written any KuroFai for a while and came up with this little one-shot. I haven't updated Of Blood and Blondes in so long... I feel terrible ;__; I will finish it, folks, just not sure how long it will take...

**Disclaimer:** TRC is owned by CLAMP... the ending of which, if any of you have been keeping up on onemanga (slight spoiler), they TOTALLY left open for a whole new series. DAMMIT. If they do decide to continue it, they'd better bring up Kurgy's and Fai's relationship, and by bring up I mean I want a FULL CONFESSION SCENE. With making out! HAWT making out! Cause that pairing is totally canon! I mean, (SPOILERS AGAIN IF YOU HAVEN'T READ UP TO TOKYO ARC) Kurogane cut off his friggin ARM for Fai? Maybe just _really_ good friends, you say? I might possibly accept that except, you know, Fai is SUCKING KUROGANE'S BLOOD! "Yeah, basically let him suck my LIFE FORCE, but we're just good friends." LIES!!!! Okay, sorry 'bout that... onto the story.

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**Midnight Tears**

**Kei Lawliet**

Kurogane quietly pulled the door to his room shut, pausing for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the cavernous dark of the inn hallway. His feet padded silently on the polished wood floor as he swept down the corridor, his cloak swishing around his ankles with each step. Though it was well past midnight, he was still fully dressed and wide awake: he always was when he came to a new world. Kurogane could never sleep easy unless he made sure himself that it was absolutely safe. So every time they arrived somewhere new, he made a nightly round to check on the children and become acquainted with his settings should there be an emergency.

He came to the room in which Syaoran slept and pressed his ear up against the door. Silence. He had figured Syaoran would be asleep, hopefully taking comfort in the fact that the princess' door was right beside his and he would be able to leap into action if she vocalized any distress. Kurogane stepped lightly over to lean against Sakura's door. The telltale mumbling of the white manjuu bun, most likely curled up in Sakura's arms, reassured Kurogane. Both children were sleeping soundly.

Kurogane turned and strode down the hallway once more, but had not taken more than a few steps before an odd noise caught his attention. He halted, his brow furrowed, ears straining for any hint of the sound. Sure enough, it was there, so faint he doubted that anyone without his trained ears would have heard it. He made his way slowly towards the direction of the noise, searching for its source.

The noise was coming from one of the rooms a few down from his own. Kurogane's frown grew even deeper, his eyebrows knitting together. That was Fai's room. Red eyes narrow, he pressed the side of his face against the door and listened.

A second later Kurogane drew back, his eyebrows arched high over his forehead. The look was replaced by one of concentration as he cocked his head towards the door once more.

When Kurogane drew back the second time, his face was set. He had definitely heard it: the sound of muffled sobs was coming from Fai's room. The familiar frown crossed its way onto Kurogane's face once more. Why was the mage… _crying?_

He rested his hand on the golden doorknob, hesitant for the first time he could remember in a while. Part of him wondered what the mage could have to cry about, the other part of him didn't feel the need to know why. If it were something important, the mage would have talked to somebody about it. Right? But there was a doubt niggling away at the back of his brain. Instinct telling him that he should do something, just this once.

Kurogane glared at the door for a second, then sighed. Ignoring his better judgment, he turned the doorknob and entered the room.

As soon as the door creaked open the sobs stopped. In the light of the moon he could see what he assumed was Fai's form huddled beneath the blankets in his bed. Fai appeared to be lying completely still, but as he continued to watch he could see Fai's outline shudder sporadically, followed by a slightly sharper intake of breath.

"Mage." Kurogane's voice was soft and low, a sign that he was not about to be tricked by the mage's act. When Fai did not answer, Kurogane's voice grew deeper. "_Mage._"

Still, Fai did not respond, so Kurogane shut the door behind him and made his way over to Fai's bed. Standing close, he could see clearly Fai's trembling beneath the blanket. Kurogane sat down on the edge of the bed, keeping his eyes on the mage as he shifted beneath the covers.

"Ah, Kuro-puu." Fai's voice drifted light and airy through the night, but Kurogane caught the slight quivering of the syllables. "I didn't hear you come in. To what do I owe this pleasure so late at night?"

"You were crying," Kurogane said. Fai laughed gently.

"Whatever could you mean, Kuro-wan?" Fai pulled the blanket down from over his head and was now peering up at Kurogane with ocean blue eyes. Kurogane's red eyes glowered back.

Without thinking, Kurogane pressed his hand against Fai's wan face. The mage flinched back from the sudden touch, his eyes snapped open wide and locked with Kurogane's. "Your cheeks are wet," Kurogane stated blandly.

Fai parted his lips as though to respond but said nothing. After a moment he dropped his gaze and swallowed against the constriction of his throat. His shoulders hunched and he fidgeted beneath the blanket, chewing his bottom lip. Occasionally his eyes glistened and he had to blink away the tears that attempted to form at the corners of his eyes. His long eyelashes were already damp with tears earlier shed.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Kurogane scoffed, jerking his head to the side.

"What are you apologizing for?" he muttered. "And quit biting your lip. You'll damage it that way."

Fai nodded, nuzzling into his pillow. Through the blonde locks of his hair he gazed up at Kurogane, who had been sneaking a sideways glance at him. Kurogane suddenly found the ceiling extremely interesting.

"Kuron-tan?"

"What?"

"Can I rest my head in your lap?"

Kurogane ran his hand through his tousled hair and rubbed the back of his neck. His tan cheeks flushed ever so slightly in the dim light and he looked away.

"Tch. Do whatever you like," he replied flatly.

Fai grinned to himself; Kurgy was such a shy puppy.

Fai shifted across the bed to lay closer to Kurogane, who sat cross-legged on the bed so Fai could rest his head on the crook of the ninja's leg. Folding his pale hands beneath his head, Fai snuggled into a comfortable position, curling up like a kitten in a basket. Kurogane pulled the blanket up to cover Fai's body, resting his hand gently on the mage's fragile shoulder.

Kurogane's warmth spread throughout Fai, loosening the tension in his body. His eyelids drooped to half-mast and his breathing deepened. A tender smile creased the corners of his mouth.

"Nee, Kuro-kun?" Fai's voice drifted through the air.

"Mmm?"

"It's okay to cry when you're happy too, right?"

"I guess."

A pause.

"Don't tell Sakura-chan or Syaoran-kun, okay? Or Moko-chan."

"…Sure."

Droplets trickled from the corners of Fai's eyes and swept down his cheeks, but he did not move to wipe them away. He tightened his limbs, pulling them in closer to his body and pressed up against Kurogane as much as he could. The steady flow of tears continued until eventually his eyes fluttered shut and his chest rose and fell in the steady beat of deep sleep.

Kurogane remained awake for the rest of the night, hand resting on Fai's shoulder, watching through the window as dawn slowly rose over the new world.

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And there you have it! Now come on, with all that Fai's been through, he at least deserves to be able to cry a little every once in a while.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! You have NO IDEA how much it means to starving artists such as myself to have their stuff reviewed, or at least commented on! It helps us breathe! It gives us inner strength! I'll give out cookies if that's what it takes! The Gods of Yaoi shall bless you if you review! I'll put in a good word to 'em for ya! Take a look at this face --( http : // media . photobucket . com / image / syaoran % 20 chibi / mrb _ un / Tsubasa % 20 RESERVoir % 20 CHRoNICLE / Syaoran / Tsubasa Chronicle - Syaoran _ 01 . jpg ? o = 34 ) and tell me you can't review!

~KL


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